In reading the scriptures, there are two kinds of mistakes:One mistake is to cling to the literal text and miss the inner principles.The second mistake is to recognize the principles but not apply them to your own mind, so that you waste time and just make them into causes of entanglement.

It's also challenging for me to gain weight (if not near impossible)... eating more calories (or protein) does nothing for me. (It also would be unhealthy.)

Exercising might help... you need to do a lot of it, though. The most that I've ever weighted was after when I biked across the U.S. It went up to around 150 lbs, at 6 ft. But when I stopped exercising, I lost the weight. (I still walk all the time... I don't own a car.)

So, I stopped worrying about it... there's really nothing wrong with it. I'm at around 130 lbs now, which seems a bit underweight to me, but the doctor says I'm healthy.

I am on the path, however not yet advanced. Any opinions or insights I share are meant entirely for discussion purposes and in cases where people might find them beneficial in whatever way. Since I am not advanced on the Path, I cannot guarantee that what I say will always necessarily be 100% true or in line with the Dhamma. However, having had an extremely interesting life with a wide variety of different (many of them deep) experiences, I hope that anything I share will be of use, provide food for thought, and inspire interesting and beneficial discussions.

Stefan wrote:Proof shows that I've lost 30 kg (66 pounds) in 1.5 years.

Congratulations! It also looks like you scored some neato rocks, and acquired a watch.

I lost 1/3 that amount over the same time frame (1.5 years losing ~26 pounds) through eating one meal a day and working a moderate physical job. I am now pre-grad school weight, 154 lbs, the top end of the healthy weight spectrum for my height (5 feet 7 inches). My goal is somewhere in the 140s, and I hope to cross this final stretch by developing a moderate yoga routine (hopefully with wholesome posture effects along the way).

Times like this, I am disappointed with having the United States not officially adopt the metric system...

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

I am on the path, however not yet advanced. Any opinions or insights I share are meant entirely for discussion purposes and in cases where people might find them beneficial in whatever way. Since I am not advanced on the Path, I cannot guarantee that what I say will always necessarily be 100% true or in line with the Dhamma. However, having had an extremely interesting life with a wide variety of different (many of them deep) experiences, I hope that anything I share will be of use, provide food for thought, and inspire interesting and beneficial discussions.

I am on the path, however not yet advanced. Any opinions or insights I share are meant entirely for discussion purposes and in cases where people might find them beneficial in whatever way. Since I am not advanced on the Path, I cannot guarantee that what I say will always necessarily be 100% true or in line with the Dhamma. However, having had an extremely interesting life with a wide variety of different (many of them deep) experiences, I hope that anything I share will be of use, provide food for thought, and inspire interesting and beneficial discussions.

I am on the path, however not yet advanced. Any opinions or insights I share are meant entirely for discussion purposes and in cases where people might find them beneficial in whatever way. Since I am not advanced on the Path, I cannot guarantee that what I say will always necessarily be 100% true or in line with the Dhamma. However, having had an extremely interesting life with a wide variety of different (many of them deep) experiences, I hope that anything I share will be of use, provide food for thought, and inspire interesting and beneficial discussions.

For me it's not what you eat but how much you eat. According to my current weight and height I should be losing 2 pounds a week by reducing my daily calorie intake to 1700. We'll see how that goes... Good job by the way.

"And what more is to be done? 'We will have a sense of moderation in eating. Considering it appropriately, we will take food not playfully, nor for intoxication, nor for putting on bulk, nor for beautification, but simply for the survival & continuance of this body, for ending its afflictions, for the support of the holy life, thinking, "I will destroy old feelings [of hunger] & not create new feelings [from overeating]. Thus I will maintain myself, be blameless, & live in comfort"': That's how you should train yourselves. Now the thought may occur to you, 'We are endowed with conscience & concern. Our bodily conduct is pure. Our verbal conduct... our mental conduct is pure. Our livelihood is pure. We guard the doors to our sense faculties. We have a sense of moderation in eating. That much is enough, that much means we're done, so that the goal of our contemplative state has been reached. There's nothing further to be done,' and you may rest content with just that. So I tell you, monks. I exhort you, monks. Don't let those of you who seek the contemplative state fall away from the goal of the contemplative state when there is more to be done.http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... akefulness

building muscles helps burn calories if you combine it with something aerobic. also ive discovered jumping rope, which can literally burn off a candy bar in 5 minutes. and i think eating a good amount of food is healthy, because if you eat enough your body will think its ok to lose fat because its stored energy. metta, danny

"And what more is to be done? 'We will have a sense of moderation in eating. Considering it appropriately, we will take food not playfully, nor for intoxication, nor for putting on bulk, nor for beautification, but simply for the survival & continuance of this body, for ending its afflictions, for the support of the holy life, thinking, "I will destroy old feelings [of hunger] & not create new feelings [from overeating]. Thus I will maintain myself, be blameless, & live in comfort"': That's how you should train yourselves. Now the thought may occur to you, 'We are endowed with conscience & concern. Our bodily conduct is pure. Our verbal conduct... our mental conduct is pure. Our livelihood is pure. We guard the doors to our sense faculties. We have a sense of moderation in eating. That much is enough, that much means we're done, so that the goal of our contemplative state has been reached. There's nothing further to be done,' and you may rest content with just that. So I tell you, monks. I exhort you, monks. Don't let those of you who seek the contemplative state fall away from the goal of the contemplative state when there is more to be done.http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... akefulness

Hi, I've been through this. I was really overweight and full of toxins, and three years ago began making changes. I reengineered my body, and in the process found that a healthy body had spiritual benefits as well. Other people have already posted all the good nutrition/diet info here. I'll just add a few ideas that worked for me:

1. Completely re-orient your thinking regarding food (others on this thread have said this, but I think it's worth repeating). Think of food in scientific terms. It's not for comfort, it's not for fun, or for a diversion. Food is simply fuel for the body. Would you knowingly put adulterated petrol in your car? Would you overfill the tank? Do they sell strawberry and caramel flavored petrol? If not, why do we subject our bodies to such things? This doesn't mean you can't enjoy good tasting food. But it has to be in moderation. Whenever I want to grab a chocolate eclair because I'm distressed, I take it as a warning that something is amiss and I need better meditation.

2. Alcohol is not conducive to weight loss (see: http://christianfinn.com/alcohol-weight-loss/ ). I was unable to lose my final 2.5 kg of excess fat until I went totally dry. After two months of no alcohol, it was all burned away. Whether to chose moderation or total abstinence is each person's decision. I'm just saying that going dry will really drop the kgs.

3. The best fitness regimen on the planet has been historically intertwined with Theravada, and its techniques passed along via monasteries: Muay Thai. Regular Muay Thai workouts lead to optimum fitness. If it's possible, spend a month in Thailand in a Muay Thai camp. Buy the genuine equipment there and take it home, set up a kick bag in your garage, and make it a part of your life. If so, excess weight will soon be a thing of the past.

(If anyone requests, I can recommend the best Muay Thai gyms/camps in BKK, and a few in south Thailand also).

Again, I've been through this and I know the despair of being overweight and unfit. If there was hope for me there's hope for anyone. Even if Muay Thai isn't an option, there are regimens like Insanity, etc. that will do the job.

Karuna,

JWR

P.S. I've never seen a fat Buddha image in Thailand. They're all lean. My good friend in Krabi likes to run up the thousands of stone steps to a nearby Buddha shrine, and by the time he's reached the top he's had more than a day's workout. He refers to the austere Buddha statue at the top as "The Fitness Buddha." I'm still an outsider; I haven't even officially taken refuge yet. But I know that Theravada and fitness go together quite well.

"You're a poor farmer, mind of mine! You've let the precious field of human life sit fallow too long. If only you had planted right, a golden crop would be yours by now!"

Stefan wrote:So, earlier this year I reached my maximum weight of 107 kg. I have been losing weight since then and am now 92.9 kg. That's a loss of 14 kg! My goal is to reach 75 kg. (My height is 1.80m)

Congrats! Please keep it on and don't fall back into bad habits, but keep to your new good habits!

How I lost so much weight. Simple: eat less, exercise more.

did you count calories or did you "just" stay away from the sweets?

I ride my bike every day, play tennis from time to time, exercise with dumbbells, sometimes play with a football by myself, walk, and am about to start swimming

How long did you ride your bike everyday / did you do some training every day on average ? 30 mins ? 1 hour? More ?

Alobha wrote:Congrats! Please keep it on and don't fall back into bad habits, but keep to your new good habits!

Thanks! Actually I had been losing weight until December 2011. Was about 78-79kg back then, but since coming home to Bulgaria for the winter months have put on some weight and am now about 82-83kg.

did you count calories or did you "just" stay away from the sweets?

I didn't count any calories, and didn't always stay away from the sweets.

How long did you ride your bike everyday

At least 40 mins per day, usually more than that.

did you do some training every day on average ? 30 mins ? 1 hour? More ?

1.5 hours of gym several (usually 3) times a week.

Also: How did you motivate yourself to keep on training every day?

I didn't need to motivate myself. It (my losing weight) happened rather effortlessly and very gradually. As long as I was consuming less than I was expending, my weight just kept going in the downwards direction rather easily.

I am on the path, however not yet advanced. Any opinions or insights I share are meant entirely for discussion purposes and in cases where people might find them beneficial in whatever way. Since I am not advanced on the Path, I cannot guarantee that what I say will always necessarily be 100% true or in line with the Dhamma. However, having had an extremely interesting life with a wide variety of different (many of them deep) experiences, I hope that anything I share will be of use, provide food for thought, and inspire interesting and beneficial discussions.